Timelines for year 1946
Beth Grant
She is the great, great niece, by marriage, of Joel Chandler Harris, who wrote the Uncle Remus Tales on which Disney's Song of the South (1946) was based.
Pat McCormick
He was a champion hurdler in high school. Served in the Army from 1946 to 1948. After military service, he graduated from Harvard University. A year into studies at Harvard Law School, he dropped out to work in advertising in New York City, a short-lived career he gave up for comedy writing.
Helen Walker
On New Year's Eve, 1946, she picked up three hitchhiking soldiers while driving from Palm Springs to Los Angeles. (During and after WWII, everyone was more than happy to help returning soldiers.) Near Redlands, California, she struck a dividing island, causing the car to flip over several times. One of the soldiers was killed, and the other two were injured. She suffered a broken pelvis in the accident. The survivors later brought charges against her, claiming that she was drunk and driving at 90 miles per hour when the accident occurred. In the end, she was exonerated of all guilt in the accident. At the time of the accident, she was working on the film "Heaven Only Knows" and was replaced by Marjorie Reynolds.
Alan Alda
Suffered from a severe case of polio as a young child. At its worst point he was only able to move his left arm. He was treated by Australian polio expert, nurse Elizabeth Kenny, subject of the movie Sister Kenny .
Suffered from a severe case of polio as a young child. At its worst point he was only able to move his left arm. He was treated by Australian polio expert, nurse Sister Kenny, subject of the movie Sister Kenny (1946).
Kay Kyser
He had three daughters: Kimberly Kyser (Kimberly Ann Kyser) was born in June, 1946; Carroll Amanda was born in 1948; Amanda Kay was born in November, 1952.
Vivienne Osborne
After leaving the film industry in 1946, she worked as a salesperson in a department store.
Donna Reed
In the scene from It's a Wonderful Life (1946) where she and James Stewart throw rocks at the old Granville house, director Frank Capra had originally planned to use a double in Donna's place to throw the rock. Miss Reed, however, was an accomplished baseball player in high school and threw very well, as evidenced by her toss in the movie.
Priscilla Cory
Sang the song entitled, "Linda" in the film 'Deadman's Curve'. It was written by Jack Lawrence in 1946. In the film Jan Berry was saying as she was singing that song that they should record it themselves, which they did.
Laraine Day
She was the first choice to play Mary in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) but had to decline the role as she was already busy working on The Locket (1946). Donna Reed later got the role and coincidentally the two films were both released to theatres on December 20, 1946.
Harry Crocker
Lifelong friend of Cole Porter, whom he met when they attended college at Yale. Crocker even appeared in a small part in Porter's biopic, Night and Day (1946), though not as himself.
Gregg Palmer
Joined the Army Air Corps wherein he became a cryptographer and achieved the rank of sergeant before being discharged in 1946.
Harold Clurman
Famous Broadway director who directed only one film, Deadline at Dawn (1946). He collaborated several times with playwright Clifford Odets, who wrote the script for the film.
Fred Astaire
After Blue Skies (1946), New York's Paramount Theater generated a petition of 10,000 names to persuade him to come out of retirement.
Owned Blue Valley Ranch, a Thoroughbred horse breeding farm in the San Fernando Valley. He maintained a racing stable of four or five horses which competed at racetracks in California. His most famous racehorse was Triplicate, winner of the 1946 Hollywood Gold Cup.